Just a Child
by Haley'sCircus
Summary: Fred Alberline is the only one who is still aware of what Ciel really is. Oneshot


"_For the murder of three men and four women…"_

"_Under arrest…."_

"_In the name of Queen Victoria…"_

Ciel froze at these words. The very indignity…the humiliation….how dare he….

"You must be joking." The young boy scoffed, as if his arrest was simply a piece of gossip passed on around the streets.

"I'm afraid not. Earl of Phantomhive, you shall be held in a cell until your trial or until you are willing to confess. You butler, however, will be tortured for information." Randall stated.

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary." Aberline protested. "He's just a boy of twelve, I seriously doubt that a mere child could have done such a thing."

Even Ciel had to laugh at that. "Mere child….Fool, such innocence and vulnerability is pathetic. I am no child."

Fred looked at the small boy in surprise. "But…"

"Obviously he himself did not commit the crime. He most likely sent his butler or another one of his pawns." Randall sneered. "The brat. Guards! Seize them both!"

Sebastian, who had been listening curiously, glanced down at his master in slight amusement. "Your orders, milord?"

"Just go along with it for now. No need to cause any more trouble than is worth my time." Ciel stated. "I will summon you when you are needed."

"As you wish, young master." Sebastian nodded and allowed himself to be taken away in shackles. He glanced back over his shoulder as the same was done to Ciel. "Good evening, my lord." He murmured.

Ciel was led to his cell, and to his utter disgust, he found himself standing in the middle of the commoners cells. What the hell? Where was his cozy and only slightly inconvenient cell that he had been put in the first time he had been arrested by these idiots? With a small noise of distaste, he turned and looked over at Randall. "I refuse to stay in such a horrid place." He stated. "I demand a noble's cell."

"Sorry, the cell's dirty and our maids won't be coming 'til morning." Randall said sarcastically. He opened a cell and removed the shackles before sending the boy sprawling inside the cell onto the filthy floor with a rough shove to his back.

"This is an outrage!" Ciel roared furiously. He had lost his top hat and his clothes were now rather dirty. "I demand to be removed from this vile place at once!"

"Stop your tantruming, you spoiled brat." Randall retorted in irritation. "Being the Queen's guard dog doesn't but you above the law. We're still in control here."

Ciel practically growled at him, his eyes blazing. "You despicable, fowl, loathsome-."

"Enough! Another word and I will have to silence you myself." Randall warned.

Aberline's eyes widened in alarm. "Sir! Truly you don't mean you would hit a child…"

"Shut up! I am no child! Children are weak, scared, emotional creatures…not to mention filthy." Ciel protested. "No, I can guarantee that there are no children here. This is a battle amongst men."

"Mind yourself, Alberline." The commissioner warned. "This boy is much more trouble than he's worth." Locking the cell, Randall gestured for the others to follow, leaving Ciel all by himself in the dark cage with the two other rancid prisoners that occupied it. Fred cast one last nervous look at the cell before obediently following Randall out of the dark, damp place.

It hadn't been twenty minutes when a loud howl reached the ears of Randall and his men. "It came from the cells!" Fred gasped. He knew it. He shouldn't have left Ciel alone. He was just a child no matter what anybody else said. No matter what Ciel said. Before Randall could even bark at him to stop, the young man found himself fleeing down the steps into the cells.

"_Let go of me!" _

Fred jumped, startled a bit by the sharpness and ferocity of the command. Was that Ciel? It had to be. There were no women in these cells and no grown man had such youthful voice. Jeers quickly filled the room, echoing off of stone walls. Taunts found their way into Fred's ears and he frantically surveyed the cells to figure out what they were causing such a ruckus about.

The filthy men in the far back cell had Ciel pressed firmly against the wall, their grubby hands staining his fine blue outfit even more than it already was. The boy looked anything but scared. In fact he looked obviously livid, as if insulted by such an indignity. That was, until one of the men brought their scrawny, branchy arm up Ciel's thigh, feeling the soft delicateness of his youthful skin.

The boy let out a shocked gasp, as if unaware that the men would dare go as far as to touch him so privately. Now there was but a single thread of concern weaved into his expression. As the man's scraggly fingers worked their way into the waistband of his trousers, Ciel's single blue eye widened and he squirmed against their hold. "Seba-!"

"STOP!"

Ciel turned to find Alberine sprinting towards the cell and let out a small sigh of relief. He watched as the two prisoners released their grips on his small arms and waist when Fred whipped out his gun. "Get away from him now! Back of the cell!" The man ordered sharply, and staring straight at the barrel of the gun, the men eagerly obliged. "Come here, Ciel. You're alright now." He stated as he sorted through keys until he found the right one. He rushed to unlock the cell door and once Ciel was out, secured the lock once more.

"Whoever said I wasn't alright before?" The young boy asked. His snobbish façade had returned.

"Idiot! They just about had their way with you!" Fred scowled in frustration.

"And let them soil the Phantomhive name by doing such a thing? I should think not." Ciel scoffed. "I have no time for perverts like those. I demand to be given proper accommodations."

Fred sighed and shook his head. The boy was stubborn as a mule. However, he knew that he simply could not leave the young earl down in the cells with such monsters. Randall's blessing or no, he was going to make sure that Ciel was safe. "Alright, come on." He sighed, leading Ciel up the stairs by his wrist.

"Unhand me!" Ciel ordered. "I am not some disobedient youth that you may drag around like a dog!"

"You are the _Queen's _dog, are you not?" Fred murmured in retort as he led Ciel to the noble's cell and gently herded him inside. "I offered to stand watch tonight, so if you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He caught Ciel's eye roll before turning around and walking back to the other men.

"You are too naïve sometimes, Alberine." Randall scolded. "He could have escaped."

"Or he could have been molested." Fred replied firmly. "Neither are ideal, but if we are going to question the boy, I'd prefer to not steal his innocence in the process."

Randall laughed at that. "Innocence? Quite humorous indeed. The Earl of Phantomhive was born without innocence. He is a creature of darkness."

Fred sighed and took a seat at his desk. "I don't care what he is. Children are children. They all get scared and lost and alone sometimes."

"Well you let me know when that happens." Randall replied. "I'd love to alert the press."

The jail was rather quiet now. Much of the police, including Randall had gone home to their families and a majority of the prisoners were asleep. That included Ciel. Fearing for his safety, Fred remained on patrol with the other guards, if not to simply put his own worrisome mind to rest. There was something curious about that boy. Fred couldn't quite place it, but he knew something was off. He pondered these notions as he paced down the dark hall, his shoes clacking against the tiles of the floor. A small gasp echoed against the walls and Fred suddenly froze in his tracks. He didn't dare move a muscle, afraid that if he made even the slightest sound, the noise would disappear, never to be heard again. Another noise of distress just barely made its way to his ears and he took off running towards Ciel's holding cell immediately. He didn't know for sure if it was really him, but it didn't matter. He was here to keep the boy safe.

"Ciel?" He whispered as he quietly approached the noble's cell. From the light of the moon that streamed in through the window of the confinement, Fred could make out the tiny figure curled into a shuddering ball with his knees pressed tightly to his chest. His long, charcoal bangs fell into his eyes, keeping them from view, but the moon's light seemed to betray Ciel that night, reflecting off of the tear tracks that stained and ripped through the boy's mask.

"Ciel!" Fred gasped a little louder. "Are you alright?" He hurriedly pulled out his keys and unlocked the cell door.

The young earl's head lifted in mortified surprise as he watched the man approach him. "Get away from me!" He ordered, but the shakiness of his tears made his normally strong voice crumble and collapse.

"Ciel, please let me help you. You can always trust me." The young man promised.

"No. Leave my cell at once and don't come back." Ciel ordered him. His face was a flaming red and his eyes were squeezed shut, as if he was desperately trying to wake up from a bad dream. He shifted in his spot and Fred's eyes glanced down suspiciously. "Well? Why aren't you leaving?" A rough voice asked.

Fred remained silent. He turned to leave, but instead ripped the covers from Ciel's bed. The filtering moonlight left the boy completely exposed, along with the large dark stain on the sheets that surrounded Ciel. The moment he saw it, Fred's expression softened into pity for the child who's tears, though silent, were as fierce and violent as any distraught child's. "Oh, Ciel. Don't cry, we can fix this."

"Get out of my cell!" Ciel roared, striking Fred across the face. "That is an order!"

"I am sorry, Ciel, but I do not answer to you." He said monotonously. He kneeled down on one knee so that he was level with the young boy. "I know you are feeling ashamed and embarrassed, but it is nothing to be upset about. Many children wet the bed. It is very common." His voice came out calm and soothing, or at least he hoped it did.

Ciel scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest, but averted his eyes from the man. "I am no child." He muttered. His eyes vibrated and shone in the lighted shadows. He was obviously holding back his tears.

Fred sighed. "I understand. At least allow me to help you clean up?"

In the end, Ciel allowed him to do that much and soon his soiled sheets were replaced with fresh, clean ones. Fred then brought in a pitcher of water, a basin, and a cloth for Ciel to wash up in, though by the look of frustration on his face, he had obviously never done such a chore on his own. Fred approached him once more. "Ciel, I know that you are an adult, but there is nobody here but us. Just this once, allow yourself to be a child? Just once?" He goaded as he wet the cloth and began to wash all of the dried urine off of the younger's legs.

Ciel gasped and looked at him in shock, but said nothing as surprisingly gentle hands washed away the itchy, irritating feeling from his pale, sensitive skin. As Fred worked his way upward on his legs, Ciel's shame and humiliation intensified one hundred fold and he clenched his eyes shut as tears escaped, slipping down his cheeks like meteors. Then, when he felt the warm cloth on his small genitals, a sob escaped. It immediately caught Fred's attention and the man looked up at the crying child.

"Poor boy." He murmured as he quickly tugged off the soiled shirt and exchanged it for a clean one. Then, leaving it in a crumpled heap on the floor, he gathered Ciel into his arms and held his tightly as the youth wept into his shoulder. Hiccups and sobs filled the room and Fred could feel the warmth of the raven's tears soak his shirt, not that he cared. He gently rubbed Ciel's back and shushed him softly. "You're alright, child. Nobody can hurt you." He murmured between gasps of breath and shuddering whimper. It was getting very late, and Fred knew now that he would most definitely be staying all night for the young Earl, no matter what he needed. The poor child needed someone to take care of him. Ciel would probably pretend it didn't happen the next day, or ignore him, or possibly even spew insults at him despite lulling him to sleep. Not that he cared.


End file.
